1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compact combination clock and smoke alarm assembly in which cessation of the clock operation indicates inoperativeness of the smoke alarm and in which the smoke alarm is concealed from view by the front wall of the assembly. More particularly, it is concerned with an assembly having front, rear, and intermediate walls forming a housing with a chamber therein, a battery, clock unit, and smoke alarm mounted in the chamber, clock hands visible in relation to the front face of the housing, air vents defined in the intermediate wall, and the front wall having a larger surface area than the rear wall in order to conceal the rear and intermediate walls from view.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art discloses various devices for incorporating a smoke or fire detector with an alarm clock. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,591, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses specific electric circuitry for incorporating a smoke or gas detector, an alarm clock, and a burglar alarm with a common battery as power source.
As an additional example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,980, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a smoke detector alarm and a clock incorporated into a single extensible, telescoping housing which may be closed to seal off the smoke sensor. The device disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,980 also includes a motion sensing intrusion alarm and a housing adapted to clip to a door for usable as a portable room security device.
The prior art does not reveal, however, means for incorporating a smoke alarm and clock in a single, compact, aesthetically configured housing readily mountable to a vertical wall surface and in which the front wall of the housing is configured to visually cover the other walls of the housing.